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Topic: Lusting (Read 2155 times)

I've got a BMW 1150RT that's been wonderful for the last 110k miles and was planning on waiting another year for the new water-cooled model to come out next year so I could pick up a lightly used 2012/2013 model. Then I started reading about the new Trophy and made the mistake of going to look at one. Wow! For less money, I could have a new, more powerful, more farkled, more attractive, wet clutch retirement hobby. Now I'm in heat and ready to rip through the screen door.

My closest dealer is in a rural area and doesn't know much about them. His business is mostly Suzuki dirt bikes and cruisers with the Triumphs as a sideline. So I've got a bunch of dumb questions I'd like answered so I can pretend to justify my purchase.

How many accessory outlets are there? Only know of the one in the glove box. Will the optional gps cradle work with my Zumo550? What kind of gas mileage can I expect on trips? Is the tire pressure monitor on the US SE standard? And is the comfort seat normal height or still a lower like the standard over here? Are there good sources for non-oem products like custom seats, bar backs, grip covers, and top cases?

I'm thinking Blue, with the paint protection.

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pressure monitor: come standard on mine, only "turns on" at 12mph and faster, but heated grips is an option although the bike has the switch and even has a fuse in the heated grips position in the fuse box.

Aharbi's information is correct. As far as I am aware there is no such thing as a "US spec" SE- all standard/SE bikes are the same with the exception of mph/kmh analogue spedometers depending on target market.

The one facility the North American SE bikes also have is XM radio as an option. I am sure that the wiring etc. is on all bikes but we don't have XM transmissions here in Europe.

As Aharbi stated, the glove box outlet is a standard car cigarette lighter type socket and the other two are Hella Continental type sockets, which I understand are the same as on BMW's.

The satnav mount is designed for the Zumo 660 but can be "fudged" to mount the 550.

The bike is fabulous, better than the R1200RT and light years ahead of your 1150! Be careful- if you take a test ride you will be hooked and it will cost you lots of $$!

At this point there are very few third-party accessories available due to the bike being so new but these will come in time. So far there are windscreens, rear "huggers" and crash protection parts. The panniers are apparently the same as the Sprint ST so third-party liners are available, but I have the Triumph ones and they are excellent.

It is worth having a close relationship with your dealer as it is a complex bike and occasionally has some issues (look in these forums!) The dealers are also learning the bike themselves and if yours is a small rural one your bike may be one of the first they have seen. Even my main Triumph dealer of many years' experience had to be pointed in the right direction when connecting the satnav (I have the 660) to the bike audio system.

Find somewhere that has a bike you can ride but be prepared for the results!

Hey Quinn. I bought my Lunar Silver SE from Ray Price Harley-Davison/ Triumph in Raleigh....about 30 minutes from Durham! Check it out, they have an excellent Blue Demo SE there and you can pick one up immediately as they have a few in the crate waiting for a new home Hope to see you soon on your new SE. - Dr Ron

I have had 12 bikes in the last 10 years or so including two BMWs (K1200LT, R1150RT). I had the RT for two years, it's a very nice bike. It fit me well was a dream to ride on the highway or in the twisties, but it didn't have much power. The opposed twin does have character and vibrates a bit. I have ridden a newer R1200RT and the vibes are much less but still there. On the + side the fit and finish of the BMW is great, they are well designed and in my opinion look great. One MAJOR down side is the price. Fast forward to December 2012...I went to the Long Beach, CA international motorcycle show and got to see and sit on a Trophy SE. WOW! I'm not tall 5'6" so it was nice to see I could almost flat foot the bike with the seat all the way down, can't do that on a BMW without the factory lowered bike. Also it had ALL the bells and whistles that the BMW had and with the same equipment was substantially less expensive. Fit and finish was great, design was great. They finally got one at the local dealer so I called the owner and arranged a test ride. BIG WOW...smooth, quiet, great wind protection, stereo, luggage, seat, etc and LOVED the cruise control. Put down a deposit and purchased it the NEXT day. I had a Triumph Rocket III for four years so I know these bikes are made well. Triumph has a great design and all for $5000 less than a comparable R1200RT. I just rode it to Laughlin, NV last Friday, we go out for lunch during the River Run. It's a 600 mile round trip in a day for me..LOVE the performance, comfort, cruise, and gas mileage. I averaged 48 MPG (on the computer so figure about 45.5 with spedo error) that's not bad for a bike that carries 6.9 US gal. I could have made it all the way out without stopping for gas.

My advice is go test ride one and stay on it for a few miles if you can you will be impressed.Gary

Hey Quinn. I bought my Lunar Silver SE from Ray Price Harley-Davison/ Triumph in Raleigh....about 30 minutes from Durham! Check it out, they have an excellent Blue Demo SE there and you can pick one up immediately as they have a few in the crate waiting for a new home Hope to see you soon on your new SE. - Dr Ron

I plan on seeing Ray Price as soon as the weather clears up and my wife loosens the leash. The devil will be in the details. I want to trade my '04 RT in after they move my aux fuse box, gps harness, and gerbings connector over. Then add a few accesories from Triumph--comfort seat, paint protection, etc. The out the door price to get what I want will make a difference. Fox in Roxboro says he will work with me and that he has a lower price. But I do plan to take their offers down the street to the BMW dealer and see what he can do; the lesser weight is very attractive and my trade-in should be worth more to them.

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Hey Quinn, Yep Roxborough always has a lower price....but the Mech at Ray Price and all the support needed for a first-class service center is what really matters in the long run. These bikes are incredibly complex and I can tell you that Roxborough cannot hold a candle to Ray Price in that arena. Please choose wisely Grasshopper! -Dr Ron

Well, I'm now the proud and slightly apprehensive owner of a blue Trophy SE. Can't say my experience at Ray Price in Raleigh is going smoothly. Still trying to get some things sorted. They installed my gps so it blocked the top of bike's display, didn't run an audio cable for it, didn't tell the bike it has heated grips, and left my old XM puck attached to the gps cradle and stashed it somewhere under the fairing. I'm really an easy-going person and hope I don't end up having to put on my asshat to resolve all this. I hesitated getting a Trophy--first year of a new bike, service knowledge for this type of bike limited, bleeding edge of technology. So I sort of expected a few glitches out the gate. Maybe in another ten years I'll be saying things like, "Yeah, they all do that.", "that noise is normal" or "the drive shaft is supposed to fail at 20k. "

The bike, however, is both wonderful and strange. It really only weighs 21 pounds more than my old BMW 1150rt and, more amazing, is just as narrow despite appearances. The rake and trail are different and it may take a while for me to trust it in anything less than a Walmart parking lot for u-turns. It falls very quickly into sweepers; feels like when the tires get squared off from slabbing. All just a matter of getting used to it. The engine is fan-damn-tastic. I'm in the initial break-in period so no hooning; but dang, the engine has such good torque from fast idle on up. Today I was two gears higher than I would have been on my old bike, trying to keep the rpms less than 3500 and the beastie just kept pulling with no lugging. I'm so looking forward to getting past the break-in restrictions and doing some mile munching and twisties.

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------------Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.